1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an agitator assembly, and particularly to an agitator for use with melting furnaces such as conventionally employed in conjunction with the casting of bullets and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Persons who wish to make their own bullets have a problem in getting all bullets to be of the same weight. This problem is created by two factors. The first is that the tree metals commonly used in bullets, namely lead, tin, and antimony, have different weights and tend to segregate in a melting furnace. This results in different ratios of the three metals between the first and last bullet poured from a melt. The second factor is that impurities, or dross, that are present in the metals frequently becomes mixed into the bullets and creates a different weight in such bullets. As a result of these two factors, bullets poured from the same melt may differ in weight which will cause the bullets to travel different distances even though the powder charge is the same. The bullets may also differ in that some of them may have a larger proportion of one metal on one side of the bullet than on the other side and this will bring a curving effect into the trajectory of the bullet.
It is generally known to lower equipment into a processing chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 3,379,818, issued Apr. 23, 1968 to P. J. Wynne, discloses an electric arc furnace wherein an anode is lowered into the furnace by means of a suitable drive assembly. A cover is employed in conjunction with the drive assembly for being brought over the access opening of the furnace when the anode is lowered in order to seal off the furnace during operation. Further, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,219,706, issued Oct. 29, 1940 to T. Jones, and 3,865,353, issued Nov. 21, 1972 to E. Fischer, disclose agitating arrangements wherein an agitator element is selectively lowered into a chamber the contents of which are to be agitated.